HARLEM, NY — For nearly two years, a small fridge on a Harlem street corner has had an outsize impact on the neighborhood, helping to keep thousands of residents well-fed during the harsh days of the pandemic.

The Harlem Community Fridge drew hundreds of people daily to the corner of West 116th Street and Manhattan Avenue, according to its founder, Sade Boyewa El. Weeks after getting laid off from her job in March 2020, Boyewa El learned about the burgeoning community fridge movement that was taking shape around the city, managed to secure an unused refrigerator, and got permission from the owners of the Ralph & Nash bodega to plug it in on the corner.

It thrived in that spot for well over a year as Manhattan's first community fridge. Volunteers stocked it daily with fresh produce and prepared foods donated by local spots like Bo's Bagels and Melba's, with continuing support from the Food Bank for New York City.

"Harlem in particular was hit really really hard during the pandemic," said Boyewa El, a longtime community activist in Harlem. Besides the death and social upheaval wrought by COVID-19, the past two years also saw the closure of Best Market on Frederick Douglass Boulevard, which left a swath of Central Harlem without a nearby grocery store.

"A community fridge like this that is accessible 24-7 and open to the community, anyone can access it and help themselves to what they need — it's very important for everybody," Boyewa El said.

But earlier this year, the corner bodega came under new ownership, and Boyewa El received a shocking phone call in early February: the new owner wanted the community fridge gone within days. No explanation was given.

Scrambling to find a new home for it, Boyewa El received an offer from the JCC Harlem to store the fridge temporarily outside their 118th Street community center, where it sat for two months.

Then, after PIX11 ran a story about the fridge's displacement last month, Boyewa El was contacted by Yaya Barry, president of the Senegalese American Association in Harlem. By Thursday, the Harlem Community Fridge had arrived at its new home: outside the association's headquarters at 209 West 116th St., between St. Nicholas Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard.

Once it is set up and stocked next week, the fridge will once again be open 24-7 to anyone who needs it, no questions asked. And while the darkest days of the pandemic may have passed, Boyewa El said the fridge remains essential.

"Food should never be a privilege to anyone," she said. "There has been and continues to be a need."

Learn more about the Harlem Community Fridge on its Instagram page.